Chick Beam
by xszsx
Summary: Jill is the daughter of the famous farmer Jack from Leaf Valley. Sick of being sheltered, she runs off to live with her twin, Jack Jr., in Forget-Me-Not Valley. There, she learns of many magical things, and discovers a whole new world (cue music). The biggest thing to stop her from succeeding, though, is the new phantom thief: Skye.
1. Chapter 1

**-This is my story that I wrote a prequel to. The prequel is simply a three-shot about Jack and Jill's parents, Jack(Toy) and Dia from HoLF. Anyway, I have other stories from this same universe/story line/family tree that I'm working on, some others I'm actively working on that include ClairexGray, ChelseaxVaughn, Angela(Akari)xGill, and Molly(Hikari)xWizard, as well as many more to come. Please stay tuned and maybe even check out my little prequel :) Thank you darlings!**

**And sorry, guys, no Skye yet. He won't appear for another couple chapters or so. I'm sorry if it's too much reading, but come on it won't be that bad. . . maybe. **

**Chapter 1**

I woke up to the sound of silence. The back of my ears hurt, and I removed the giant headphones I had over them. I keep them on during thunderstorms, playing loud music to block out the booming noises that prevent me from sleeping.

Ever since I was a little girl, I hated thunder. I like the rain, but not thunder. There's really no particular reason, I just hate the loud noises . . . it sounds like there are bombs going off. I just want to sleep, and the headphones' pressure on my ears makes them hurt for a while in the morning. So, naturally, I don't like thunderstorms. It's not some weird deeper meaning. It's just me being too sensitive.

I massaged my aching ears, stretching as I awoke more. Although this sounds contradictory, the silence was too loud now, ringing around in my ears and piercing my brain.

I rang my bell beside my bed and waited for about a minute before my chambermaid/godmother, Gina, arrived.

"Good morning, Jill. Did you get enough sleep?" the teal haired woman asked. I nodded in response. She had a pretty good complexion for her age, but her stress was showing through her white-streaked hair. She wasn't that old. She came over to where I was standing in my nightgown, a robe in her hand, and shooed my hands away from where they were starting the undressing process.

"No, no, dear, you must not strain yourself. I tell you this every morning," she chided. I sighed as she helped me to undress, feeling like a helpless little girl. There was no point arguing, every morning I tried but she would never hear any of it. It wasn't just my father that treated me like a little china doll, but almost everyone who knew me—it was tiring. I guess they couldn't help feeling that way when even a common cold could potentially kill me.

Gina folded my nightgown, placing it on my bed, and put the fluffy cotton robe on my almost bare body. I put on my slippers and headed into the bathroom connected to my room, where Gina was drawing a bath for me. I went into the water closet in the bathroom and relieved myself while she set up the aromatherapy. I washed my hands before getting into the bath, having to be extra careful with cleanliness.

Gina took off my robe and helped me into the steaming water almost overflowing with lavender scented bubbles. I started to lie down with her help, and put my back against the soft towel laid out at the edge of the tub, floating in the water. Gina patted my head, smiling, and left me alone for my bath. I sighed as I lay there, letting the bubbles crackle around my naked body.

This was one of the only times I could be alone in this stupid villa, and I relished in the momentary freedom from fussing.

Gina called the time for me to get out of the bath too soon. I had begun to snooze off a little, though, so I guess it was for the best. Gina came in and helped me dry off quickly, then slipped on my robe for me while she got my clothes. I put my cold feet into the slippers to free them from the glacial grasp of the hard tile. Gina came back quickly with a cream-colored dress with flower designs. She took off my robe and replaced it with the dress, which ended about mid-thigh on me. Gina led me back over to my bedroom where she sat me down in an armchair with a footstool, going to retrieve some socks and shoes. She came back with white thigh-highs and brown slip-ons with a strap across the width of the shoes, putting them on me carefully.

I sighed and thanked Gina, heading downstairs to eat quickly. Gina was right behind me, and headed straight for the kitchen to prepare food. I sat at the dining room table, still feeling a little drowsy, and dozed off a little.

"Jill, did you really get enough sleep?" Gina startled me into a straight-up position, and I smiled wryly.

"I'm just a little restless from the storm," I replied. Gina nodded and set down a bowl of nasty, tasteless porridge. She also set a bowl of fruit, which I was tremendously thankful for. Gina went back into the kitchen to set out the rest of the food, and then sat beside me to eat. I ate pretty slowly, repulsed by the bland dish I had to choke down with only the help of some blueberries and strawberries.

Gina finished rather quickly, and immediately picked up the dishes to wash them. I forced down the rest of my food, and brought my dishes to the kitchen to be washed. I tried to rinse them, but Gina took them away quickly. I sighed and left to go check the mail box for any letters from my brother. I peered inside, and smiled as I saw a white envelope. I looked at the front, and smiled even wider when I saw Jack's name on it. I went back inside, opening the letter as I went.

I sat down in an armchair while I read Jack's brief letter.

_Hey Pony,_

_How's Dad doing? How are you doing? I'm doing okay, I suppose. Farming is a lot harder than Dad made it seem. I'm still awesome at it, though. . . just less awesome than I thought I would be. Whatever, you should still come visit (with Dad and Gina, of course). They've gotta let you come visit for our birthday. And when they tell you that I should just come visit you guys, tell them I sprained my ankle, or something. I want you guys to see my farm. Anyway, I don't really know what else to write. There really isn't much going on here. That's why I need you guys over here to help relieve my boredom. Oh and so I can gloat in my overwhelming success. Ha. You better come soon!_

_P.S. seriously come soon_

I set down the letter on my lap, wanting to leave this place even more. Jack was such an idiot. I got up, put the letter in my dress pocket, and told Gina I was going to visit the horses at Gwen and Bob's. She chuckled and waved at me.

"Always coddling those ponies, aren't you?"

I hurried to Starling Ranch, running through the plaza in case my father decided to come back from the ranch for a moment and spotted me. He didn't really like me running about just to go see some dirty horses.

I arrived at the wide plot of land, Gwen racing one of her horses around the track. She was going crazy fast, doing some jumps along the way. I clapped as her horse's galloping slowed into a canter, then a trot, then a walk, until she appeared right in front of me. I recognized the horse almost right away. The big white star in the middle of her head gave her away as the simple Pony. Gwen had let me name her right after she was born. That was her first mistake.

Her second mistake was letting me ride her. I was awful.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Pony," I said, patting the horse's star. The horse was breathing heavily, not paying much attention to me.

"Hi Jill," Gwen breathed, her breathing matching the horse's. I smiled at her.

"Hello," I said. Gwen hopped off of Pony's back, patting the horse's sides to tell her she had done well. I grabbed the reins, leading Pony to her stall. Gwen followed, drinking from the water bottle she had left behind next to a fence post. I led Pony inside the hay-ridden stall, taking off the bridle, saddle, blanket, and girth. I put everything away and started brushing Pony as Gwen fanned herself, sitting down in a chair next to the stalls.

"How's Jack? Your father, I mean," Gwen said. I looked over at her and shrugged.

"I only see him at dinner nowadays, when he's super tired from trying to maintain the farm all day every day," I said. Gwen made a disapproving sound.

"He's so uptight these days. . ." she said, leaning back in her chair. I bit my lip and kept brushing Pony, who was now drinking water. We stayed in silence for a minute, before Bob came booming in.

"Hey Jill! Great to see you! Gwen, mind helping me out collecting some eggs?" Gwen's husband towered over her seated form, smiling as he always did. Gwen sighed slightly.

"Okay, just gimme a sec," Gwen said, waving him off a little. Bob went back whence he came, and Gwen opened one eye to look at me.

"Don't ever get married," she said, fanning herself again. I chuckled.

"Hey, Gwen, what do you think I should give my brother for his birthday?"

"Nothing," she offered. I laughed a little.

"Thanks for the help."

"No, seriously. You guys have the same birthday, it's weird to give each other gifts, isn't it?"

"No."

"Ha, whatever," she said. She got up and came over to lean on the stall door.

"Make him his favorite food, or something," she said, shrugging. I rolled my eyes.

"No one would let me near a kitchen," I said. They were afraid I would stab myself with a butter knife, or something. Gwen huffed a little.

"I'm not exactly a great mind for browsing gift ideas. Anyway, I gotta go help Bob out. Feel free to try and ride a horse," she said, smiling. I snorted. I did not want to fall again. Not only had it hurt, but it had made my dad flip out, even though I only had a couple of scratches. I couldn't tell him it was from riding a horse, or he would never let me ride again. I just told him I simply fell.

I left the stall, closing the gate behind me, and decided to just lean on the gate and stare at Pony. She came over to me and nudged my face, asking for a treat, so I went to get a couple of sugar cubes and held my hand under her mouth as she sucked them up into her mouth. I wiped my hand on a towel hanging next to the stall, patting Pony when I was done.

"You did a good job, Pony," I said. I hugged her, snuggling into her neck. It smelled dusty, even from all the brushing. I let go after a little while, Pony shaking her head a little and doing the weird little shiver horses do. I patted her twice on the head, then decided to leave the barn. I walked out, shutting one of the doors and leaving the other open, and decided to head over to the chicken coop to see if Gwen and Bob needed help. On my way over, I stopped.

I felt something stir inside of me. It was so sudden, but so strong. Totally out of the blue and weird, but I was so sick of this boring life. Doing the same things over again. I couldn't do this anymore. I felt motivation slowly fill me up like a cup, out of nowhere, leaving me standing there, biting my lip in a hesitation that had only been fleeting before. I changed direction, heading back to the Square.

I ran until I reached the platform, hopping onto it and stopping in the middle of the giant red and white pattern. I looked around, stopping as I spotted the path leading to the Grocery Store. I took in a deep breath as I jumped off of the platform, walking onto the path right in front of me. I kept walking straight until I saw Ronald's store.

I turned right, hesitating as I did so. I walked forward, ignoring the sign that held the ranch's name. I walked past the two giant buildings on either side of me, the giant field of crops just ahead. When I reached the edge of the field, I looked for my father. I saw him tilling at the far end of the field, and I went around to talk to him. He didn't see or hear me at all, making what I was about to do a little easier. I could still back out now. But I wouldn't. For some reason.

"Father," I said, quieter than I had meant to. He didn't seem to hear me, so I cleared my throat and tried again, his back to me.

"_Father_," I tried again, my voice cracking. My father stiffened, turning around and looking at me.

"Jill. . . what are you doing here? Where's Gina?" he asked. He looked torn between being concerned and angry.

"Um, I wanted to talk to you. Well, no, actually, I came to tell you something," I said. I was messing with my dress a little, a nervous habit I had when talking to my father.

"I-I. . . I'm leaving. Here. Right now. . . or, um, soon. Yeah. I'm going to go live with my brother. A-and y-you can't stop me. Okay? I'm not going to be sheltered anymore," I held my breath as my father stared at me, silent. I tried really hard not to look away, wanting to appear strong and, hopefully, independent. My father took off his gloves, folding them as he took in a deep breath.

"Um. . . Jill, dear, why in the world would you want to leave? I mean, not only is it extremely dangerous for you, it's simply out of the question. You can't possibly take care of yourself, what with all the needs you have. I mean, perhaps we can discuss you living by yourself in Leaf Valley, but Forget-Me-Not? No. No. Forget it. All you would have was your irresponsible brother. You'd end up seriously hurt there, possibly even dead," my father continued lecturing me, only causing my determination, and honestly, anger, to grow.

"I'm not going to die there if I go," I interrupted. "I mean, I might one day, but not from neglect. And most certainly not from simply taking care of a few plants and animals. Please, Father, this is no longer up for discussion. I'm leaving to go live with Jack. He needs my help. Desperately. He's my brother, and I will help him whenever he needs it. Now, we can make this goodbye end on either a good note, or a bad note. I personally don't want to leave on a bad note, so I will stay at the house today to wait for you to come to terms with my decision and so that you can see me off without any anger."

My father tried to talk more, but I held up a hand.

"I'll see you later, okay? I'll still be here, I promise," I walked off, glad that my father didn't follow.

* * *

**So that's it for now, but I would really like to continue this and I have already written some plans up and a little more of the story itself. I would really appreciate comments on how it is going so far, what you want me to avoid, all these little things. I expect this to become good enough to get flames loool **

**Oh my I'll start crying a little bit when that happens so make sure it does you little sadists **

**Stay with me lovelies!~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ha I can't believe I actually updated. Anyway, here we go. I hope I stay pretty consistent with my updates.**

**Thank you for the reviews so far! I really appreciate it and would really like any constructive criticism or feelings idk lol xD **

**Anyway, I think I might be uploading the next chapter very soon. I'm in the process right now.**

* * *

I decided to run back home, feeling rash. When I went inside, panting, Gina came over to me quickly and fussed over me in a great panic. I waved her off.

"I'm fine, Gina. I just decided to run a little," honestly I felt like I was going to collapse. I've never run so much before. I suppose it was the adrenaline that boosted me so much.

"Why in the world would you run all the way here from the stables?" she asked.

"I didn't run from the stables, I ran from the farm," I said, still panting, making my way to the kitchen for water. Gina beat me to it, leading me to a chair as she spoke.

"You went to your father's farm? You know he doesn't like you going out alone. Why would you do such a thing?" she asked. She went into the kitchen and quickly got me some water.

"I was telling him that I was leaving," Gina froze in the doorway on her way back.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"I want to go help out my brother," I said. Gina walked over, giving me the water.

"Oh . . . well, I suppose that isn't too bad. But I still don't think it's a very good idea. And we'll have to talk to your doctor about it, too. He'll have to clear you before you can go," she said, looking a little dejected.

"But, I know that adventures like these are important when you are young. So I'll try and help you to make sure this one stays safe, alright, dear?" she continued, hugging me. I hugged her back.

"Thanks Gina," I said. I finished off the water and she took it back into the kitchen.

"I'm going to wait for dad to come home," I said, walking off to the sitting room to read.

"I'll go ahead and call the doctor, then," she responded. I left the house instead, deciding to say my good-byes to everyone, including Pony. I then went home and did what I originally said I would do, reading for the rest of the afternoon, excited about visiting my brother's farm and reading up on plants and animals. Gina brought me my pills and some water while I was deep into a book about what crops belonged to each season. I quickly gulped down the handful of medicine, and Gina patted me on the head in a way she hadn't done since I was much younger. I smiled at her.

"The doctor said that he'll be here tonight. You're lucky he was already traveling this way," Gina said. She kissed me on the top of my head. I thanked her, going back to my books. I continued reading for about an hour when my father walked in quietly.

I looked up from my book, waiting for him to come into the room. I heard Gina greet him, and they talked quietly for a minute. Then, I heard his footsteps draw nearer. My pulse raced as my stomach flipped, resuming its acrobatics from earlier today. My father stepped into the room, looking sad.

"Hello, Father," I said, careful and quiet. My father walked towards me and knelt down right next to me.

"Oh, Jill. My sweet, sweet Jill. . ."

I waited, holding my breath and biting my lip.

"I could never have you hate me for pulling you back from living your life the way that you want. I know I must've been a terribly overbearing father, protecting you as much as I did. And I regret that, especially because my own father was that way . . . and I had promised myself I would always be better. But after . . . after your mother died . . . and you had the same condition that had helped her death. . . I. . . I just. . . I couldn't help it, Jill, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," my father started crying. I just stared at him, taken aback, not knowing what to do. Eventually, I put my book to the side, and took him in my arms.

"Dad. . . I. . . I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I whispered lamely. I felt kind of awkward saying it, but it was all I could think to say. I'd never really been one for heart-to-heart moments, even if this one wasn't some intense revelation. It was still some digging up of buried feelings, though, and therefore contained a heaviness I wasn't experienced with.

"U-um. . ." I continued.

"I. . . I'm sorry you've been through this. . . I'm sure you must've felt really lonely. . ." I tried. My father chuckled a little, pulling back. He brushed my hair to the side.

"Oh, Jill," was his simple response, neither denying nor confirming the statement. I couldn't help it, I let a few tears slip.

"Dad. . ." I whispered, drawing him in for a hug. Gina came over and stroked my back. Suddenly, the door knocked. Gina bustled away almost immediately. My father and I parted. My father got up, looking towards the door. A few seconds later, the doctor walked in.

"Hello, Dr. Hardy," my father said when the cyborg-eyed doctor appeared. He grunted in response. I loved the old fart. He was a smart but simple man, one of the best doctors to ever live, and one of the best money could buy, which my parents collectively had an abundance of. My mother had left behind a hefty fortune and my father made an incredible amount of fortune himself.

The famous Dr. Hardy, with his amusing red and white Bermuda shorts, shuffled over in his strappy flip-flops over to me.

"So, Jill. I hear you're wishing to be a rebel and run away from home," he said, a slight joking tone to the otherwise serious voice. He almost always talked in that joking, gruff voice. I chuckled in response.

"I wish to visit my brother, and hopefully set up a permanent residence," I said. He nodded.

"Yes, yes. That irresponsible twin of yours. I don't know how he's still alive, that one. But I would like to check up on your condition before you set off on this new endeavor," he said, taking out some of his tools. He had some of the best stuff that only tons of money could buy, them being the most advanced gadgets. He checked all of my vitals.

"You are starting to develop signs of a fever, but all you need of course is some ibuprofen. Other than that, I don't see any immediate problems that would hinder your journey," Dr. Hardy said. I squealed a little, hugging him. He grunted.

"Thank you, Dr. Hardy!" I said, smiling. He scoffed.

"Don't think you're getting off this easy, though. You know full well that a fever can quickly become dangerous, and that you still require constant care. Also, Forget-Me-Not Valley is on the opposite side of Abra Island, meaning it will force me to change my schedule. It is closer to other towns, though, especially Mineral Town, which would help me out. So, you shall travel with me. I am moving to Forget-Me-Not with you."

"What?" I blurted out

"I'm sure it will also help your father and godmother with peace of mind," he said, putting his stuff away.

"We shall leave in the morning," he said, starting to walk away.

"That is, if you still want to go," he looked back at me. I jumped up.

"U-um, yes. Yes! Of course. I was just caught off guard, is all," I said. Dr. Hardy nodded.

"Very well, start packing. I'll pick you up at seven in the morning tomorrow," he did a quick salute, nodding to my father and Gina. I smiled widely.

"Let's go pack, Jill," Gina said, holding out her hand to me. I ran over to her, and we made our way up the stairs together.

I could barely sleep that night from all of the excitement. I couldn't believe I would be able to finally leave this place, _and _see my brother again. Gina came in to officially wake me up at six, giving me enough time to do my aromatherapy. I floated through the process thoughtlessly and rather quickly, sprinting downstairs to eat breakfast right after Gina put on my dress. My father was already sitting at the table, smiling as he saw me come in. I ran over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, Jill," he said quietly. I sat down next him. He was looking at the pamphlet Jack had received when he had decided to move to Forget-Me-Not. Gina quickly got us some breakfast as we sat in silence, my father continuing to just stare at the pamphlet. She set down the porridge and berries in front of me and even my father. He didn't mind the flavorless meal, and even refused to eat any berries with them. Gina sat down along with us and we all ate in what I thought was a comfortable silence. Soon, before I had finished, the knock I had been waiting for sounded on the door. I jumped up and raced over, swinging the large door open with more difficulty than I liked to admit.

"Dr. Hardy!" I exclaimed, excited.

"Hush, girl," he said, stepping in to the house.

"I hope you're already prepared," he said, looking at his watch, then at me, with an eyebrow raised. I nodded.

"Gina! Father!" I called. They came in soon after. Gina smiled and went up to get my suitcases with my dad. I waited downstairs with Dr. Hardy.

"So how long does it take to get to the valley, exactly?" I asked. Dr. Hardy smirked.

"Only a couple of hours," he said. I made a disapproving noise.

"I didn't think Abra was _that_ big," I said, a little worried. Gina and my father came downstairs. I looked up at them, feeling a pang of sadness.

"Alright, that's all of it I think," Gina said, setting down the two suitcases she had in her hands. She was much stronger than she looked. My father set down my third and biggest suitcase, still the stronger of the two.

"Just bring that out to the car," Dr. Hardy said. They both nodded. I followed them all outside where the car was parked on the dirt trail. It was something I had only seen a handful of times, most of those occasions only in pictures. The suitcases were piled into the back. Dr. Hardy nodded, then patted my father on the back.

"Don't worry, Toy. I'll look after her even more than I have for all these years," the doctor said. Gina started sniffling. My father just looked at me sadly, and then hugged me tightly.

"Okay, Jill. You know how hard this is for me so just get on out of here and write a lot, okay? I'll have faith in you that you'll take care of yourself and your brother. And don't ever hesitate to ask for help, alright?" he kissed me on the forehead. I almost hated to admit it, but I was way too excited to cry. But I knew the tears would most likely hit hard later on.

"I'll try my best, Father," I said simply. He nodded and nudged me forward to Gina. She proceeded to hug me as well.

"Take care of yourself and your brother, baby girl," she muttered, kissing me on the cheek. I giggled a little, pulling away. Dr. Hardy started the car. I took that as my cue to get into the car. I opened the passenger side, sitting down quickly. I rolled down the window as we started driving away, waving.

"I love you!" I called out. We were out of the town within minutes. We ended up in the absolute middle of nowhere very soon. Dr. Hardy had turned on the radio to some weird music I didn't really like. It was all loud and had lots of screaming, or something. I decided I didn't have any control over the music choice, though. We drove for quite a while before I almost inevitably fell asleep, especially when I was listening to music I couldn't help but tune out.

I woke up suddenly and groggily, the car still moving, but over some very bumpy roads.

"Sorry," Dr. Hardy grumbled. I didn't answer, cranky from the sudden jolt. I just leered out into the bright world as we bumped along the uneven gravel.

"Where are we?" I muttered.

"Just outside of Mineral Town, so about twenty minutes away from your brother's farm," he replied. I made a sound of acknowledgement. After a couple of minutes bumping around, the road flattened out just a little more as we rolled in through a small town with a welcome sign reading "Mineral Town". It was a cute little village full of little cottages that only slightly varied in size and style. It took only a few more minutes to get to the outskirts of the town, where what seemed to be an abandoned farm lay.

"How many farms are abandoned like this?" I asked. Dr. Hardy scoffed.

"As generations get lazier, farming gets harder," he simply replied. I rolled my eyes a little.

"Uh-huh," I said. There had to be something beyond just laziness of the people, right?

We drove onto a mountain that had the sign "Mother's Hill Summit", into a road that seemed to circle the giant landmark. I marveled at the new and beautiful sight. I had never seen such a big mountain or hill or whatever it was. It took a rather long time to get around, causing me to dose off a little bit. We were soon on yet another bumpy road, jostling me awake once more. I shook my head, trying to clear it. It wasn't much longer until we rolled up to another sign, only this one said "Forget-Me-Not Valley". The entrance to the town was right next to a hill, and in front of us was a giant farm. It was absolutely beautiful, full of rows upon rows of crops. There were a couple of quaint little huts sitting next to the fields, and I could see yet another field, and even a greenhouse right next to them.

"Wow, my brother's been doing much better than he said he was," I said. Dr. Hardy scoffed.

"Oh, I've checked on your brother on a number of occasions. He most certainly is doing _worse_ than he said he was."

I looked at the doctor, confused. Then, we drove past the farm entirely and onto a small wooden bridge over a little river.

"Oh my goddess, how bad is it?" I asked, full of worry. Had he been lying about taking over a farm just to please my father, or something? Was he actually some sort of bum just living from house to house or inn to inn and too proud to go back home for help? Not that there was anything for him to proud of, the little idiot.

We turned onto a hill full of trees acting as some sort of fence. I could see the sad looking new farm after a few seconds, groaning as I saw how awful it looked. I'd never seen anything like it. And we had a _father_ who was a wonderful farmer. Jack had visited and played on our farm millions of times.

"Oh my goddess," I said. I was going to have to live in this hell-hole? I was starting to regret my decision to come. We stopped in front of a very small and pink cabin with an odd circular roof. Honestly, it looked more like some sort of barn than a house. On the right side, there was what appeared to be a very small and fragile-looking chicken coop and even farther right, there was a brown wooden cabin. On the left of the pink cabin, there was a little pond with rocks lining it.

We got out of the car. I walked with trepidation to the door as Dr. Harvey took out a couple of suitcases. I looked back, and then decided to run over and help, taking one of the three. We put them down by the door, and he knocked for me. We stood there, but there was no response. I decided to just open the door and set the little dolt straight, but a quick glance around showed that nobody was there.

_What the hell?_

I sighed.

* * *

**I've decided that I should really make these "chapters" a little longer, since I was only doing approximately a little more than 1,000 words each ha**

**So yeah I really hope to update again soon, but of course I have a bunch of homework and all that grossness **

**Anyway, I really would appreciate it if you all would review and give your insight, I would love to hear from you all. I know this pairing needs a little resurrection so I'll really try to make this a non-painful process. Speaking of which, I'm expecting to bring Skye within the next two chapters. Probably the very next one, but the one after at the latest. **

**Oh my goodness I don't even think I'm making any sense. Whatever. Thank you for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm probably going to come back and edit this in a couple of days, just like I did the previous chapter, but I'm too impatient right now and just want to get this darned thing up. I really wrote quite a lot the past few days. owo'**

**omg I just used that face whatever don't sue me**

* * *

"Where is he, do you think?" I asked Dr. Hardy. He had said he had visited my brother before. Dr. Hardy's eyes narrowed.

"I think I might know," he said. We walked out of the small cabin, going back down the path we had driven on. We were heading towards the very small town.

"By the way, Jill, I live right here," Dr. Hardy said as he pointed at a small house right off of my brother's property. I nodded.

"Well, I'm not going to be missing you any time soon," I said. We walked forward past what a sign said was the inn. Right across the path from it, there was a bar. I followed Dr. Hardy to the bar, groaning as we headed for the door.

"Are you serious?" I asked. We walked through, a bell ringing.

"Welcome to the Blue Bar!" a peppy blonde girl called. I blanched at the sight of my brother sleeping at the bar. I strode over to him.

"Jack Pete Jr. you are in so much trouble, oh my goddess!" I exclaimed as I grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him up. He looked at me with shot, startled eyes. I slapped the idiot, which I knew wouldn't hurt very much coming from me, but it would be enough to get the message through and wake him up some more.

"My goddess, Jack, what the hell have you been doing all these months?" I asked, exasperated. The girl behind the bar squeaked.

"Um, is everything alright?" she asked quietly. I glanced over at her.

"No," I snapped. I immediately felt bad as the poor girl shrunk back, nodding quickly and running into the door that lead to some other room in the back. Poor thing seemed nice enough. I would have to make sure I excused myself later. I looked back at Jack, leaning closer as I pulled at the fistful of his shirt.

"Look what you made me do," I whispered, agitated. Jack just blinked slowly, eyes glassy and breath reeking, dried drool on his chin.

"Jack! Answer me, dammit!" it hurt to think he had been wasting away all this time and hadn't asked for more help. The way he had written in his letters, it just sounded like he couldn't get the hang of milking cows or getting the right seeds for the season or something trivial like that. But this was something entirely different. He couldn't get anything right. What an idiot. I sighed.

"Doctor, could you help me get Jack to his house?" I asked. Dr. Hardy nodded, doing as I requested. We hobbled over with the drunken Jack, taking much longer than before to reach the sad cabin. We hauled him onto his bed, Jack falling asleep almost immediately. Dr. Hardy got some water from the well outside, Jack not even having a kitchen _or _a bathroom in his house. He forced Jack to sit up and drink it, then left him be. There was a knock on the open door. I looked over and saw a squinty-eyed old man with dark hair and an anchor tattoo on his arm, a towel around his shoulders.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Ah, I was just checking out what was going on here. I saw Dr. Hardy getting some water at the well and the door was open. I live about ten feet away in the cabin over there," he pointed out to the right.

"Oh. I'm Jill, Jack's twin," I said. The man nodded.

"I know about you," he said, walking over to where I sat next to Jack on the bed.

"Oh, did Jack talk about me?" I asked. The man smiled, causing his eyes to squint even more.

"Not your brother Jack. Your father. I knew him very well once upon a time," he said. My eyebrows raised.

"You knew my father?"

"Yes. My name's Takakura. I was actually good friends with his father, your grandfather. I haven't seen your father since he ran away, but he still writes to me," Takakura said. I couldn't hide the shock on my face.

"My father ran away? I mean, he's told me that his own father was a little overbearing but I didn't think he had run away," I said. Takakura nodded.

"Keith, your grandfather, had always been very strict, but that wasn't what had caused your father to run away. It was when Keith died that Jack didn't want the responsibility of keeping up the family farm. So, he ran away to Mineral Town to work with the blacksmith Saibara. But, it didn't work out for Jack, so he ran away to the other side of Abra Island, where he was pressured to save an entire _town_ through farming. That's why your brother's here now. Your father wanted him to save what was left of the farm he had abandoned," Takakura finished. Wow, was not exactly expecting an entire history here.

"So this is my grandfather's farm? And Jack totally failed because he's an _idiot_," I pointedly said the last part loudly to my brother's sleeping form. I kept staring at him.

"Are you only here to visit?" Takakura asked. I sighed and shook my head.

"I was planning on living here. But I'm weak and sick. I was expecting to just help out by feeding chickens or watering a couple plants or something. Not totally rejuvenating an entire farm," I said, my frustration clear.

"Goddess, this is stressful," I continued, holding my head in my hands. Dr. Hardy pat me on the head roughly.

"Oh, come on Jill. You're not as weak as everyone makes you think. You can help your brother by a lot," he said. I looked up at him, trying to hold back tears. I was just_ so_ frustrated.

"I don't know. . ." I muttered. I shook my head.

"Jill, this farm is doomed anyway. You might as well take what is already destined to fail and change its outcome. There is nothing much worse you can do to this farm," Takakura said. I bit my lip. That kind of helped.

"I guess I can try," I said. Takakura smiled.

"I'm happy to hear that."

I smiled a little back.

"I guess I'll go visit while this shlop rots away," I said, getting up. I stepped outside, looking around.

"This place is awful," I muttered, walking down the path towards the town once more.

"Do you need me to walk you around, Jill?" Takakura called out.

"I'm good!" I called. I didn't really want to start out my new life having my hand held already. I wanted as much independence as I could get without killing me. I decided to go to the bar first to apologize to that girl. I walked into the building, and the girl was there again. When she saw me, she looked downwards.

"Welcome," she squeaked out. I walked up to the bar, sitting down.

"Could I just get water please?" I asked. She nodded, making sure not to look at me. She quickly got me a glass of water, condensation proving that it was icy. I dragged it closer to me, but didn't take a sip yet.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I was just really shocked to see my brother wasting away like that," I said, quiet. The girl smiled sadly.

"You're his sister?" she asked in the same volume. I scoffed.

"Unfortunately. His twin, even better," I said. She seemed intrigued by this bit of information.

"Wow, I wouldn't have thought it but now that you say it, it's a little too obvious," I grimaced a little at that.

"Do I really resemble him so?" I asked.

"Oh no, no, it's only your faces. I can already tell there's quite a lot of difference between you two," I laughed a little.

"Well that's a relief. We better hope so if I'm expected to save that goddess-forsaken farm," I finally took a big gulp from the glass of water.

"You're taking over the farm?" the blonde asked. I nodded, pressing my thumb to the roof of my mouth. I had a brain freeze.

"Don't expect much though," I said through my thumb. The girl giggled.

I took out my thumb, looking at her.

"So, um, I'm Jill," I said.

"Muffy," the girl said. I smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Muffy," I replied. She nodded, smiling.

"Yes, nice to meet you."

I really liked this Muffy girl. We had been talking for hours, mostly about all of her failed boyfriends and careers, but she still had this inherent kindness and humor about her. I had never really had a friend my own age before, although Muffy was a couple years older.

"So now you're living with this older guy Griffin?" I asked. He had walked in before and introduced himself to me, but went into the back room, which I now knew was their own rooms.

"Yeah," Muffy replied, giggling a little. I smiled.

"And you guys are dating now, or. . .?" Muffy's eyes grew wide.

"NO! No, no, no, not at all. He's, like, a decade older than me," she said, waving her arms around.

"Oh, so then is there anyone you like?" I asked. Muffy's look grew pensive.

"Well, not really. I mean, there's this guy named Marlin that's pretty cute. And honestly, Jack's pretty good-looking, too. But I don't really see myself with either of them. Especially Marlin because he's obviously in love with the other farmer's daughter, Celia. He's really over-protective of her because she's so sickly," Muffy explained.

"I feel like I don't like the guy already. And Jack's gross, what the hell?" I said. Muffy shook her head, smiling.

"Oh, Marlin's not bad at all. He can be a little mean but he's really sweet. I've known him for a couple of years now. And I can't help it if I think Jack's cute. Besides, I just told you I don't really see myself with him. Plus, you should take my finding him cute a compliment, since you're twins," she winked. I laughed.

"I guess so, yeah," I replied. Muffy laughed a little with me. Suddenly, a bunch of people came in at once, surprising me. I had been the only other person in here for hours. I looked outside, and was surprised at how much darker the sky had become. I looked at the clock above the door.

"Six o'clock?!" I exclaimed. I had been here for somewhere around eight hours, or something. My goddess. Muffy giggled.

"Yeah, we've been talking for a really long time."

"Yeah, just a little bit," I said, still shocked. The people sat down next to me, all but one looking at me. There were two almost identical old guys, some weird-looking blonde guy, and an orange-haired girl with glasses, the only one looking preoccupied with something else.

"Hey Muffs," the blonde guy said, waving her over. Muffy smiled and went over to him.

"Yes Rock?" she said. He leaned in.

"Who's the chic?" he whispered loudly. I raised an eyebrow. He glanced over at me and saw me looking, causing him to wink. That shocked me. Muffy giggled.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"No, no, introduce me," he adjusted his little white vest thing.

"Everyone, this is Jill. Jill, this is Kasey, Patrick, Rock, and Flora," Muffy smiled at me.

"Hello," I said, waving. The old guys looked like they were inspecting me intently. I gave Muffy a look, pleading to be rescued. She shook her head, making a reassuring little gesture with her hands.

"Um, can I help you?" I asked. I saw Rock slap Muffy on the shoulder lightly, complaining about something.

"Do you like fireworks?" one of them suddenly asked, voice gruff.

"Um, I don't . . . really know. . ."

"Do you not know . . . what they _are_?" the other asked, sounding incredulous. I couldn't remember which one was which.

"Well . . . no, not exactly. I've only read about them," I said. The twins shook their head.

"Unbelievable," they muttered together, and started whispering to each other, glancing over at me every few seconds. Muffy came back over to me.

"Rock's too insecure to introduce himself," she said. Rock yelped.

"Muffy! I keep telling you! _Introduction_! Like 'oh have you met Rock? I would go out with him but I'm too busy shacking up with some old guitar player I'm completely in love with', you know? Something like that," he said. Muffy ran over to him and smacked him on the head.

"Shut up, you idiot," she said. Suddenly, Griffin came in.

"Sorry, Muffy, I was in the bathroom," he said, taking his position behind the bar as well. Muffy shook her head, biting her lip a little.

"O-oh, it's fine, Griffin," she said. Rock wiggled his eyebrows and she glared at him. She went over to the girl named Flora, asking her what she wanted. Flora looked like she was being brought back to a different reality. She answered quietly and Muffy nodded, getting her drink. I decided to leave and try to get some rest.

"I'm going to head out, Muffy," I said. Muffy looked around quickly and waved, smiling big.

"Alrighty, Jill, take care!" she called as I left.

It was really starting to get chilly. The spring still had some frosty bites left in the early and late hours of the day. A quick wind blew and caused me to hold my arms, rubbing up and down and jumping a little. I walked to Jack's house. Well, _our_ house now. I walked in quickly, the room dark and abandoned, save for a snoring Jack. I groaned. I wasn't going to get a lot of sleep with his snoring every night. I'd have to work on getting that fixed very soon. Maybe I could sleep in the chicken coop, if it didn't look right near to falling with the slightest gust of wind. I turned on a light, which was only a single bulb in the middle of the room that didn't illuminate much.

I didn't know where I was going to sleep. Maybe the chicken coop really was my only choice. There was no way I could sleep with his loud snoring. I shrugged, going to one of my suitcases and pulling out a blanket. I went to my brother's bed and stole a pillow, then went to the trunk at the foot of his bed. I grabbed a bunch of his clothes and stacked them on top of both the stolen pillow and my blanket. I looked all around for a flashlight, but only found some matches and a small candle in my brother's toolbox. I went outside, opening the door with some difficulty, but managing, and turned off the light with my nose.

The night had descended quickly with only a very little amount of light left. I stumbled toward the outline of fragile structure in front of me. I opened the chicken coop's door cautiously, expecting some onslaught of chickens, or something. I peered in, the dark coop silent. I put down my makeshift bedding carefully onto the dirt so I could take out a match and light the candle I had put in a jar, but I only got very little light from the small flame. I didn't immediately see anything, so I just decided to kick in my bedding and closed the door, trying to suppress the fear at being in a dark room with unknown contents. I looked around, and saw little nests and a shipping box, but no chickens anywhere in the yellow hay. I shrugged, turning around back to my bedding. Suddenly, I heard a very small chirp.

It was freaking adorable.

I turned around, trying to illuminate the little nests once more, looking extra carefully. In the third nest I inspected, there was a very small, yellow chick. Its little black eyes blinked and another small chirp came from the little creature. I swear I almost freaking exploded, the damned thing was so cute. Honestly, nothing I had ever seen had been so cute. I immediately cooed and put down the candle on one of the nests' wooden frame. I took the little chick into my hands carefully, taking a closer look.

Another chirp sounded, and I squeaked a little. I couldn't handle it. It was a very small chirp, though, and a closer revealed some crusty eyes. I think it was sick. It was shaking, almost unnoticeable because it was so quick. My heart broke and burst all at the same time.

"Oh darling. . ." I whispered. I put it to my cheek, then kissed it.

"Don't worry," I continued, "I'll take care of you, little chirpy."

I don't know why I called it that, but I just went with it. I went over to my bedding and made my bed right next to the nest with the chirpy little bird. I put down my brother's clothes and his pillow, then lay down with my blanket on top of me. I closed my eyes, sighing as I thought of all the days ahead.

"At least I have you to help me start out, little chirpy," I mumbled sleepily. There was no response. I sat up and looked at the little bird, heart racing. It didn't die, did it? I realized I had forgotten to snuff out the candle. I inspected the chick, and saw that it had simply fallen asleep, its little body breathing. I smiled, relieved, and blew out the candle.

* * *

**I PROMISE I'LL BRING IN SKYE NEXT CHAPTER OH MY GOD**

**I already wrote most of it. Just gotta shove him in there. Jesus. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh my god(dess) guys. I had this first part written for weeks now but in order to write the rest I had to totally neglect all responsibilities. So now I'm doing just that. In fact, I just did this until 2 in the morning. HELP ME. Lol I'm really going to hate myself tomorrow. But I wrote a lot so whatever. Enjoy, I guess.**

* * *

There was a woman talking, her words muffled but bright. I kept listening, trying to make out her words, who she was. I suddenly was able to make out her phrases faintly.

". . .won't do any work whatsoever, just like her brother," there was some other little voices that responded, but were too quiet.

"If something isn't done, the Harvest King will surely punish them. Dia asked my sister to make sure that her children would lead successful lives, to work with passion, but if Jack already has no work ethic whatsoever, then I doubt Jill will be any different. . ." the other voices were too small to make out what they were saying exactly, but it sounded like they were talking about not giving up or drawing conclusions.

"It's impossible," the woman laughed a little. "I'll just tell Marina that it's hopeless."

"What are you saying?!" a booming voice sounded from out of nowhere.

"Oh no, the Harvest King. . ." the woman muttered.

"Harvest King?" one of the little voices called out.

"Quitting already?! That's so like you to disappoint us so with your indolence, Aleia. You call yourself a Harvest Goddess? You always give up without really trying!"

"It's not like I can make someone work if they don't want to, Father," the woman named Aleia snapped.

"It's your duty now to figure it out! You're a goddess! You're starting to loaf on the job in your old age!"

"W-what?! Age has nothing to do with it you big baldy! And if it did, you're much older than I am, you old coot!" the ground shook violently.

"B-Baldy? W-why you! You've crossed the line! Take this as your punishment!" a loud crack sounded.

"You're a mean Harvest King! Change her back!" a small voice called out again.

"That's why people call you names like 'baldy'!" another said.

"Baldy! BALDY!" yet another mocked

"Silence! You all are to blame, too! You all need to reflect on what you did!" another mini-earthquake shook the earth, and with it another, much louder crack.

". . . Wake up," a harsh voice sounded. I blearily opened my eyes, a bright morning sun slapping me in the face and blinding me. I groaned, rolling over. I hadn't exactly spent my best night ever. It was a restless sleep that I had had, leaving me in a bitter mood. I looked at the person in front of me, a stranger with crazy light blonde hair and glowing red eyes. I was still too tired to be freaked out.

"Good, you're awake. I have a message from the Harvest King," the girl said. I blinked.

"What?" I muttered.

"Here," she said, holding out a letter. I took it slowly, opening the simple piece of folded paper.

_Daughter of Dia,_

_The Harvest Goddess and the Harvest Sprites have been punished because your brother didn't work and caused you to be doubted. They've been sent away to another dimension. If you work hard and achieve your goals, proving yourself to fulfill your mother's wishes, I will return the Harvest Sprites and the Harvest Goddess to this dimension once more to grant you many wishes. To aid you, two Harvest Sprites at the Harvest Sprite Station and Guts at Harvest Sprite, Inc. shall be at your disposal. Do your best._

_Signed,_

_Harvest King _

"Is this some weird prank to welcome the new girl or something?" I asked, still groggy. The girl scoffed.

"If only. If you just go to the Harvest Sprite tree, you'll get your unfortunate proof. Unfortunate proof of how I'm going to be lonely now that I have nobody to argue with. Little bimbo had to go off and babble off her nonsense," the girl sighed. "Anyway, work really hard, eat your vegetables, la-dee-da, all that good stuff. I'm gonna go to bed now. Find me next to Lumina's mansion if you wanna turn into a frog or give me a toadstool or you wanna fight needlessly, I don't know. Just don't expect much help from me, 'kay? I'm really only a messenger for the old coot here," the girl poofed out of existence before I could even say anything.

"What the hell?" I mumbled.

I suddenly heard a little chirp, though, and looked at the source, smiling and patting the little chick on the head. I got up, stretching almost painfully, and headed out of the little coop. It was really bright outside, much later than my normal waking hour of seven. I walked over to my brother's cabin, expecting him to be gone, but when I opened the door, it revealed that he had in fact stayed in bed this entire time. I sighed for what had to be the hundredth time in the past _day_, shuffling over to my hopeless twin.

I slapped him awake. He moaned, rolling over and looking up at me.

"Hey," he croaked.

"Mhmm," I said. I walked out of the cabin and went to get him some water from the little rock pond, taking some for myself and bringing some back to him, both in glasses he had lying around. The little shit had fallen asleep, though. I slapped him again and forced him to drink the water.

"You're hopeless," I said, shaking my head.

"Jus' a lil' bit," he mumbled, covering his eyes with an arm. I went over to my suitcase with my medications, and gulped them down with the water. I put down my glass on his bedside table and sat down next to him on the bed. I brushed his hair back.

"Why didn't you ask for more help right away?" I asked.

"I did. . ." he replied.

"You told us we should come visit," I said.

"Yeah."

"That's not exactly saying 'hey I need some extra help starting out'. What did you expect when we came to visit? Dad deciding to stay and do all the hard work? He's already busy doing all of that at home."

My brother was silent.

"I just don't know, okay? Jill, can I just sleep some more, please? I think I can get more rest when I know you're here."

He sounded absolutely pathetic. It wasn't how I remembered my brother at all. I guess he had never failed so badly. I got up, rolling my eyes.

"Whatever," I muttered on my way out. I went to the phone, looking at the directory and dialing the number I needed.

"Yodel Farm, how can I help you?" a man sounded.

"I need some animal medicine," I said.

"Alrighty, we'll get that to you by tomorrow," he said. "Is that all?"

"Yes," I said, and hung up quickly. I headed out the door.

"I'm leaving," I said. My brother groaned in response.

I did just as I said I would. I decided to meet some other people in the town, almost afraid of all the characters I would meet, but I decided it should distract me from the thought of this "Harvest Sprite Tree" nonsense. I couldn't help it though. I knew the curiosity would kill me. I decided to ask Muffy later.

I was exhausted. I dragged my feet through the Blue Bar, plopping down on a bench. Muffy greeted me with a smile.

"Hi, Jill," she said.

"Hey, Muffy," I replied, smiling back a little.

"Can I get some water?" I asked. I kind of felt bad for not spending any money here yet, but I would get to it one day when I could actually scrape up some money. Muffy got me a glass, all smiles and no worries. At least none that she let on about. I knew for a fact that she had plenty to worry about, but the good thing about her was that she knew how to deal with her problems the way everyone should. I drank some water, but not as much as I thought I had wanted. I leaned my head against my hand, pursing my lips a little as I touched a drop making its way down the glass.

"Muffy. . ." I waited for her reply before talking. Muffy looked at me expectantly. When I didn't say anything, she spoke up.

"What is it, Jill?"

"I'm sorry if I sound kind of insane asking this, but do you know something about a Harvest Sprite Tree?" Muffy's face grew pensive.

"Um, well I don't know if it's an _actual_ Harvest Sprite Tree, but there is a tree that the kids here have always talked about. The only problem is that there are so many trees here that I can't remember which one. Maybe if you ask Hugh or Kate? Have you met them yet?" I sighed a little.

"Yeah, as far as I know, I've met everyone in town. Quite the interesting bunch, I must say. Although they all seem nice," I said. Muffy giggled.

"I think that's how it is in every town, right? The world would be boring if it weren't."

I laughed a little.

"You're right, this whole world's all screwed up and weird," I took a sip of water, even though I wasn't really thirsty anymore.

"You know, I think I should go home and check on my brother," I said. I decided to give Muffy a very very small tip of 50 G.

"I swear I'll give you more when I make more," I said, guilty.

"Oh, no. No, no, Jill, you take every coin you can get. There's no way I'm taking any," she said.

"Muffy," I looked at her pointedly.

"Please," I said. She shook her head. I sighed and took the money back.

"One day I'm going to give you the biggest tip you've ever had," I said. Muffy laughed.

"You need to make sure you're brother's not dying first," she said. I snorted.

"Yeah…" I got up and headed out, waving to Muffy. I made my way onto the paved trail back home. It was getting dark already, so I quickened my pace, especially because it was becoming chilly once more. I rushed into the dark house, turning on the small light. Jack wasn't in his bed. I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to bother trying to figure out where in the world he was now. I decided this was as good a time as any to try to figure out the whole "harvest sprites" thing.

I looked around, walking up to a trunk at the foot of Jack's bed. I dug through for some sort of long-sleeve, taking out a big denim jacket. Goddess, I kind of hated denim. It was too constricting. But I didn't feel like looking through the big pile of musty clothes, so I just shrugged it on, stepping outside. The slight cold was much better now. I went down the hill, deciding to go right, for once. I wasn't too eager to go and visit some random vanishing girl, but the whole situation was going to bother me to no end. I had only been to the grand mansion on the hill once, to meet the inhabitants. If I remember, the woman was a Ms. Romara or Romanov or something, with her granddaughter Luna. Lunella? Oh my goddess, I don't know why I couldn't remember these people's names. I'd get it down eventually. I had totally ignored the little shed on the left side of the house, though. Well, left when walking towards it straight on.

It had become completely dark at this point, so it was kind of hard to see. There was a glow from the mansion's lit up windows, though, so I could see the shed's outline. A whispering voice sounded from its direction. I walked closer to hear.

"ξουρЖπΑ…" my eyebrows met in confusion. I walked up to the structure, the door now visible.

"XiOmicron…UpsilonRho…ZhePiAlpha…XiOmicron…UpsilonRho…ZhePiAlpha…XiOmicron…UpsilonRho…ZhePiAlpha… XiOmicron…UpsilonRho…ZhePiAlpha…"

I knocked. I know, smart. I guess that's just how I roll. Hear some odd chants, knock on the door to check it out. A long silence followed, perhaps for a couple of minutes. I grew uneasy. I was about to leave when the door creaked open. There was a magenta glow coming from the otherwise dark room. I stood at the doorstep, wide-eyed, thoroughly creeped out.

"Come on, Jill, you're letting the cold air in," a voice echoed. I assumed it to be the same girl as before. I stepped in to the ominous-looking room… for some reason. The door closed behind me and the room became even darker, despite the large glow coming from the middle of the room. Soon, though, my eyes adjusted and the glow either actually became brighter or just appeared to do so. I could see the girl behind whatever was glowing. I could now see that it was in some sort of giant vase, or bowl, or something.

"Come closer, Jill, jeez," I complied. I now saw that it was a cauldron. How… witch-like…

"Um," I said lamely.

"Are…are you a _witch_?" I asked. The girl scoffed.

"You don't miss much, do you?" she said sarcastically. I was taken aback.

"W-what? Seriously?"

"Oh, Jill, I know this is all new and stuff but can we get past all the shock and revelation or whatever on meeting a witch? I wanna get to the good stuff, already," she said.

"U-um… sure. I guess. Can—can I at least ask some questions?" the girl sighed.

"No."

"What's your name, at least?" I asked.

"Are you daft? I can't give you my real name. Don't you know anything? Just call me Witch Princess," she said, stirring what was in the cauldron with no hands.

"Oh… well. I guess that answers my other question. I know that witch elites don't like giving their names," I said.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Enough being all nosy and shit. Now, I imagine you have some questions? To get the old hag back? I'm already dying of boredom and you're taking forever, so just ask me whatever to get you started. Have you even gone to the Harvest Sprite Tree yet?"

"Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. I don't know where it is," the witch stared at me, unblinking.

"Are you shitting me?" she finally asked.

"Um…no?" I said.

"Oh my shit, Jill, that's the most basic thing you need to know. It's just next to the goddess pond, right next to the hill where your farm is at. It's a big tree, with crystals all around it. You can't miss it."

I sucked in my lips and then made a smacking sound.

"Well…that's good to know, then," I said. The witch shook her head.

"XiOmicron…UpsilonRho…ZhePiAlpha… XiOmicron…UpsilonRho…ZhePiAlpha…"

"Um, do you want me to leave?" I asked.

"Not yet, Jill. Calm down," she said.

"XiOmicron…UpsilonRho…ZhePiAlpha…" I stood there awkwardly, watching as whatever was in the cauldron bubbled.

"XiOmicron…UpsilonRho…ZhePiAlpha…"

"XIOMICRON…UPSILONRHO…ZHEPI—ALPHA!" the cauldron's bubbles grew larger, all popping quickly with a sizzling sound. There was a glow around the witch princess now, and she looked like she was breathing in the glow, or something. Her hands held onto the cauldron, and her eyes glowed the same color as whatever was in the cauldron, changing from their originally fierce red.

"GAAAAHHHHHHH!" she exclaimed. I jumped, stepping back, totally shocked. Where the hell did that come from? The witch slumped where she stood, the glow fading.

"Lux…" she whispered. The room was immediately illuminated by many little candles, all actually quite powerful. She sighed, and kicked the cauldron. The giant metal container didn't move at all. It was bigger than the bed I now saw in the corner. The rest of the room only consisted of bookcases, full of books, viles, and bottles. Books were also strewn about the floor of the stone shed, haphazardly set down.

The witch princess just stared at the cauldron.

"Why…" she whispered.

"Why does the Harvest Goddess always _complain_ about everything? And now…now she goes off and gets herself banished, by blabbing her stupid mouth to someone other than me! Her own father, for fuck's sake! And I mean, why does she think she's such a "good girl" or whatever? It just pisses me off that she's so self-righteous! She's always going off and getting herself in trouble and then it's others who have to clean up her mess!" she scoffed. "She says that _I'm_ the troublemaker around here. I mean sure, every now and then I bully the Harvest Sprites, break up a few sweethearts, destroy crops, make animals sick, all those little things, but she goes and gets so pissed about it! _I'm_ just having a little fun! Adding a little chaos to the world to balance it all out. But _she _is always just being an annoying _dolt!_" the witch was pacing frantically at this point, fuming and moving her hands about. She suddenly whirled around to look at me.

"Well? Don't you hear what I'm saying? Wouldn't something like that piss you off?"

"W-well, I mean. I haven't met her, or anything. But that sure sounds annoying," I offered. The witch scoffed again.

"Yeah, you're right. It's annoying," she paused.

"I'm glad we see eye to eye Jill. I think I'm gonna like you," the witch smirked, then went over to a bookshelf and took down a crystal ball.

"Now I'm afraid I have some pressing matters at the moment, but please feel free to come back whenever. And remember, I'm not joking about bringing me toadstools, red grass, gold lumber, even rainbow curry. If you give me rainbow curry I will possibly fall in love with you, though, so fair warning," the witch snorted. She was pretty scary, but she just seemed stressed. Plus, she's a witch. A witch _noble_, to make things worse.

I made my way to the door, bracing myself for the change in temperature.

I walked out, and suddenly heard screaming. I ran to the mansion, stopping dead in my tracks as I saw some weirdo with silver hair right in front of me. They looked at me from across the fountain, stars reflecting in the water, sparkling as the droplets of the fountain bounced about in a rush of multiple jets. The person's face was obscured by the water, and they were just standing there. I moved to the side slowly, trying to see their face. I stopped when I saw it in its entirety.

I think it was a man.

He was…unsettling. He was all glow and… almost ethereal. His green eyes, his pale skin, his silver hair. They were _all_ glowing. I couldn't tell if it was the moon's fault, or not. I kind of hoped it was. I looked the man over. Honestly, it was the worst outfit I'd probably seen put together. At least on someone this…_pretty_. I especially hated his gray and black animal print little sweater. I hated animal print. It was so tacky. I heard the man chuckle.

"Hello, beautiful," he said.

I was not expecting that. I'm not sure what I was really expecting, though, to be honest. Maybe a "boo!" or something.

I ended up just staring at the guy. He raised his eyebrow a little, walking towards me, encircling the large fountain, blurring his face once again.

"Out for a little walk by yourself… at night?" he whispered the last part. I raised my eyebrow. I remained silent. The guy chuckled again, looking up at the sky.

"I see that my beauty has paralyzed yet another maiden. I guess I won't need to be using any…special powers on you."

"What?" I finally said. He laughed, now in front of me.

"I thought that would get you talking. Don't worry about it, though, beautiful. 'Twas simply a jest," he smiled, canines defined, leaning down to meet my eyes. It was only then I had realized he was at least a head taller than me. I think I stopped breathing at one point, unable to tell if I was scared or seduced or what. I didn't like it, whatever it was.

"Hey! Aren't you that thief? Phantom Skye?" a shrill voice called out, and we both looked to see the girl, Luna or Luni or whatever, standing at the doorway, face red. I whirled around back to the man.

"Yes, yes, dear. Phantom Thief Skye. Prince of the Stars. The World's Most Beautiful Man. Every Person's Dream Lover. Take your pick," he grinned slyly.

"You're a thief?" I accused. This Phantom Skye guy did a little salute, a sparkling necklace held in his hands.

"Oh it's just a little trinket for now… it'll be your heart, later…" he chuckled. Was this guy for real? Did people like this actually exist? What the hell was going on? I couldn't even tell who he was talking to, but it honestly seemed to be the both of us. I didn't know how to respond.

"Pardon my jocund attitude, ladies. It seems to be having quite an effect on you, and for that, I apologize. I'm a little pressed for time, now, though, so please don't think me rude. I'm sure we'll see each other again, though," he waved, still smiling. I grabbed him by the arm. The girl came rushing over, presumably to help me out.

"Wait right there!" she yelled. The thief looked at us, his gaze growing gentler.

"Now, now. Don't let such raw anger steal away your beauty," Lun-Lum-whatever visibly blushed and started sputtering, and I just held onto him, still not sure how to respond to his little antics. He whispered something very quietly. He winked at the girl, and then at me, and then slipped out of my grip. He smirked a little.

"Don't worry. It's written in the stars," he said, then quickly disappeared into the trees. What was this little shit's deal with trying to be all mysterious? The biggest enigma that bothered me, though, was that I didn't know why I hadn't been able to move. It freaking pissed me off.

"I-I don't know what just happened," I said after a little while. I looked at my hand, moving closer to my face. What was that all about? Did that just really happen? I just realized how quickly my heart was racing. I had never faced anything so different, so exciting, so _dangerous_. Well, I guess it wasn't that dangerous, really, but it was really the closest I'd come to any sort of crime or anything. It was… absolutely _exhilarating._

"Oh my goddess… I can't believe he just got away like that. He was so charming, I couldn't even move. I'm so embarrassed…" the girl mumbled. I felt kind of bad for her. She seemed to be a pretty nice girl, just a little spoiled. I now felt _really_ bad for not knowing her name.

"Miss Lumina!" a man called out from the mansion. I quietly thanked the man for reminding me of her name. I diligently repeated it in my hand, committing it to memory.

"Lumi!" an old woman called, as well. They both came out, all in their elderly glory. Whatever that is. If I remember correctly, though, the old guy was just a butler, while the lady was some crazy rich and powerful something-or-other.

"Oh, Sebastian, oh grandmother!" Lumina said. She sounded so sad. It broke my heart a little.

"He got away with the locket!" she lamented. Her grandmother patted her on the head, having taken her into a hug

"Mrs. Romana, would you like me to go and chase the thief?" the butler asked. I was really liking this guy. He was reminding me of the things I was wanting to know, without me asking. Mrs. Romana shook her head.

"No, no, Sebastian, we'll find him eventually. Besides, it would be far too dangerous. You know that," she said. I guess I was right about the slight danger factor. Although I'm sure the biggest danger was this old guy wandering around in the dark, especially with the threat of wild dogs. But whatever.

"Oh, Jill, are you alright?" Lumina asked. I nodded.

"Of course, don't worry about me," I said. She nodded as well.

"Good, good. I'm so glad you were here. I would've been a lot more scared if you weren't. I wouldn't have been so brave. Although he did get away, at least we tried, right?" she asked. I laughed a little, nervously.

"Yeah…" I replied quietly. Lumina smiled.

"I'm going to go home now, then," I said.

"Oh, no, no, Jill, you mustn't. It's too late now. It's dark, and the thief is out there. It's much better if you stay here for the night. Right, Grandmother?" Lumina asked. Mrs. Romana smiled.

"Of course, dear. Come, come," she said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Romana, thank you Lumina, but I really don't want to be a bother. I'm just right down the path," I said.

"Oh, nonsense, dear, it's much more than just 'down the path'. And just call me Romana, otherwise I feel like an old bat," she chuckled. I laughed a little with her. The women led me into the mansion. Lumina took me up the stairs and into her bedroom, which was, of course, big and beautiful, and surprisingly classy. I had expected more craziness, or something, to go with her effervescent personality. But, looking at her clothes and talking to her a little more, it became a little more obvious that she was actually quite an elegant woman in the making, at the very least. I decided I really did like her. She had Sebastian take down a mattress and some bedding, insisting that we have a "sleepover". I had to admit, it was comforting being back in an environment like this. I was still worried about the little chick, though. But there wasn't much more I could do until medicine arrived.

We talked for maybe an hour or so, but eventually Lumina fell asleep. In my borrowed silk gown and rather fine bed linens that smelled like lavender, a smell I now know made me homesick, it was easy and quick to soon follow.

* * *

**OH MY GOD HOW DO YOU EVEN WRITE SKYE I DID NOT REALIZE HOW FREAKING HARD IT WAS LIKE**

**I'm kinda making him super duper creepy I think**

**Although my thinking right now is that of a burnt out student that just did standardized testing all day and has written until 2:30 a.m. while having barely slept the night before AMI IEVEN MAKING SENSE IN THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER? WHATEVER. **

**Okay well yeah. Please review. Any suggestions for not making Skye a total facking weirdo creep thing? I'll sit on it all I guess. I'll come back to edit another day maybe. Whatever. #swaggie**

**God help me**


	6. Chapter 6

**OH MY GOD I JUST RE-READ AND EDITED MY LAST CHAPTER. IT WAS SO AWFUL. WHO LETS ME WRITE AT SUCH AN HOUR?! I'M SO FUCKING DONE. **

**I'm hoping 11:00 p.m. is a better time for my brain to do the writing thing.**

**Anyway, my updates always take longer than I would like, but at least I've been pretty consistent and doing it every month. I've never done such a thing before. So yay for that****.**

**Too bad all my updates kind of suck ass. This one makes me want to die a little, but I'll just edit it later. I want to at least get something up. **

* * *

I woke up in a much more pleasant manner than I had for the past few days, really. There was just something so warm, fresh, and nice about where I awakened. I slowly got up, feeling very well-rested, and stretched rather languidly, sighing contently after finishing. I looked over to Lumina, who was still sleeping. I wondered what time it was.

I got up out of the mattress on the floor, and went over to see Lumina's bedside table. There, there was a very expensive-looking alarm clock. I walked closer to try and get a better look at the hands. I almost gasped in shock. It was 10:48 a.m.

"_Lumina_," I whispered, a little frantic. The girl groaned a little, but otherwise remained still and silent.

"_Lumi_na," I said, a little louder at the end, but still trying to sound friendly. She rolled over, sighing softly.

"Hmm?" she attempted.

"It's almost 11 o'clock, Lumina!" I said, still trying to be a little quiet. Lumina opened her eyes slowly, hair all over her face.

"Yeah, so?" she said, sleep not yet shaken.

"I have to go back to the farm immediately. Especially since my brother's so screwed up," I said, already gathering my clothes.

"I'm so sorry to be leaving like this, but thank you very much. You're very kind," I said. Lumina smiled a little and nodded.

"Of course, Jill. Have fun," and she rolled back to her former position. I made the bed a little, clothes in hand, and headed out the door. On the way out, I ran into Sebastian heading into the kitchen. He heard me and looked at me.

"Hello, Ms. Jill. Sleep well?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes, and you Mr. Sebastian?" I asked, walking up to him. He smiled and nodded. I looked into the kitchen and saw Romana at the table sipping tea. I waved at her and she smiled.

"Thank you so much for having me Mr. Sebastian and Mi—uh—Romana. I really appreciate it, and I'm sorry I couldn't stay a little later but I really have to go back to the farm now," I said. Romana nodded.

"Of course, dear," she said, still smiling. "Be safe. And please do feel free to come by whenever you would like."

I smiled back.

"Yes, thank you," I left quickly, almost sprinting back to the farm. I was so worried about the little chirpy guy. The chick, not my brother. Just for clarification. I guess it was pretty obvious, but still. I almost tripped going back up the hill, and slowed down significantly afterwards. As I neared the house, I saw a little package by the front door. I went over to pick it up, and opened up the plain brown box. Inside, there was some animal medicine. I hurried over to the little chirpy's fragile coop, and crossed my fingers as I opened the door to the sad little bundle of sticks. The sunlight filled the musty coop with light, and I rushed over to where little chirpy was last. I picked up the little bird, and was relieved to see that it was still breathing. It was very faint, though.

I gave it a dose of the medicine, and made sure to give it a little food. I lay it back down in the little nest it had been in. I kissed its little head, walking away slowly without taking my eyes off of it.

"Get better, little chirpy, 'kay?" I said. I walked out, closing the door on my way out. I decided not to shut it all the way, so as to give the little chick at least some fresh air. I walked back over to the main house, and there, I was surprised to see a short, round man clad in all red.

"Hello!" he said. His white skin was covered with red splotches, especially around his nose and cheeks, but not in a healthy-looking way. He had a big brown mustache and matching, but balding, hair, all curled and gravity-defying. He adjusted his small glasses, and made sure his little red top-hat was properly positioned on his bare crown.

"Um, hello," I said, cautious of weirdly dressed strangers on my property. I wasn't sure if I was ready to be meeting such an odd-looking guy. He stuck out his meaty hand. I decided to take it, and he shook it with great enthusiasm.

"I am Mayor Thomas, of Mineral Town. I also help out around Forget-Me-Not Valley a lot, too, though. Nice to meet you, Jill," he said.

"Uh, well. I guess I don't have to introduce myself, then. Nice to meet you," I replied. Thomas smiled. We were still shaking hands.

"Yes, yes, Jill. I'm sure you will do some fine work here," he said, and finally let go of my hand. I tried to discreetly wipe off the sweat on my hand as he looked around at the farm. I couldn't help but be a little embarrassed about the poor land, even though the farm's condition had nothing to do with me. The man's face grew almost like he was about to scold me or something.

"Now, I'm afraid that the old shipper moved away recently due to the… lack of crops coming from here. Honestly, though, even Vesta's farm has been struggling a bit. So, there was a meeting to pick a new one, and, well, I guess now the shipper is me! So you'll be seeing me around a bunch," the man's face grew a little darker.

"Of course I wouldn't have to if I had gone with scissors…" he muttered, looking over to the barren field.

"Sorry?" I asked. Was he talking about Rock-Paper-Scissors? The man looked like he was being brought into some new reality, now. He smiled again.

"Oh, nothing. Sorry. I tend to talk to myself. Anyway, I'll be handling your shipments, so I thought I'd come by and say hello. Hahaha, not that you have anything to ship yet, but just so you know. Oh, I also took the liberty to pay for that package that came by this morning, just as a little welcoming gift. Now, now. I'm busy, but I'll be back at 5:00 p.m. and sharp! Every day, too. Even if it's raining, or snowing, or there's a tornado, or hurricane, or anything. Anything, really! I'll be there okay? Bye bye now!" he said, waving and hopping away. I just stared at where he left, hoping he hadn't seen my face so weirded out. He really was one of the worst kinds of people wasn't he? I hoped I didn't have to see him a lot. He annoyed me more in the last few minutes than anyone had really ever annoyed me in my entire life. On top of all that, he was a creepy bloke. I felt like he would sneak into people's houses in the middle of the night just to give them gifts or stare at them or something.

I finally decided to walk back inside the house. Jack wasn't there, and I just had to hope he wasn't dead at this point, I guess. I went to his dusty toolbox, and dug down through all the rusty tools for any money. I found a couple of coins lying around, which only gave me 100 G. I sighed. It really wasn't much, but it would have to do. I sped out of the house, heading towards the other farm in the town: Vesta's. I made my way towards the bridge, and saw Muffy on my way there. I waved at her, and she returned the favor, heading down the path to what I now knew was where the Harvest Sprite Tree was. I would have to visit there right after.

I thundered across the wooden bridge, running, and water rushing beneath me and echoing my footsteps even more. The sound immediately stopped as I got back onto a dirt path, and Vesta's shop was soon only feet away, on the left. I ran inside, a sudden rush of air hitting me from a fan right behind the counter. It was a pretty small room. Vesta's back was turned, writing something on a clipboard. I walked up right in front of the counter.

"Hold on, dear. Give me just one second," she said. She finished after a minute, and turned around to me. When she saw me, a big smile appeared on her face.

"Oh, Jill! How wonderful to see you finally coming to buy something! I was hoping I could get some real competition soon," she winked at me, laughing a little. I chuckled a little.

"Yes, well. I think I only have enough for one bag right now, so don't expect much too soon," I said.

"Oh, honey. It'll get much easier, trust me. It's always hard in the beginning. That doesn't mean you can ever slack off, though! It just means the hard work won't bother or stress you out as much anymore," she said. I smiled.

"Thanks, Vesta. I appreciate it," I replied.

"Now, what would you like to buy?" she asked.

"Umm…" I started. "What can I buy with 100 G?" Vesta's smile faded.

"Oh, Jill. I'm so sorry. The cheapest seeds I have are turnip seeds, which are 120 G," she said. My heart sank. I didn't know what to say. I was so embarrassed. Vesta shook her head.

"Now, now. It's only 20 G. Just take these as a gift from me, okay?" she said, handing me five bags of seeds.

"Oh my goddess. Vesta, there's no way I can let you give me all of these seeds for only 100 G," I said, pushing the seeds away.

"I'm not giving them to you for 100 G. I'm giving them to you for free," she said. I blinked, unbelieving.

"What?"

"_Take_ them, Jill. I won't accept no for an answer. I know how hard it is to start out. Trust me, even this gesture isn't much. It's just barely enough to get you on your feet. So, don't worry. Barely anything is coming out of my profit if you just take these," she said. She shoved them into my arms and let go immediately, forcing me to catch the bags.

"V-Vesta. I—thank you," I said simply. She waved me off.

"Go plant those crops, girl," she replied, and turned back around. I immediately ran home and did just that, smiling. It wasn't all as hopeless as I had thought. I mean, I could have just asked my father, I suppose, but the whole reason for doing this was to show that I could be independent and that Jack was not in fact a total screw-up. Even though he was. Plus, I was already a financial burden on him, what with my immunodeficiency.

I tilled five 3x3 fields, for each bag of seeds, but by the time I had finished planting, I was exhausted. I felt like I was going to pass out. I immediately stopped, holding my head. Oh. I need to take my medication.

I stumbled my way to Dr. Hardy's, having to stop on the way even though it was only about a minute away. I walked into the small house on my right when exiting the farm land, without knocking, and was relieved to see the doctor there.

"Jill? Are you alright?" he asked, coming over to check my vitals. I nodded.

"I need some medicine," I said. He nodded and went over to a cabinet, while I decided to lay on the examination bed he had. He came back over and gave me some sort of syrup, which was new, since I was used to pills, and without realizing, I ended up slipping out of consciousness sometime after.

My head was hurting, and my throat was dry. I opened my eyes, feeling groggy, to only find darkness. I had no idea where I was. I started panicking, getting up out of whatever bed I was on, heart beating wildly, and groping around for something. The lights suddenly turned on. I whirled around to see Jack had turned on the light, looking grumpy and eyes squinting.

"Calm down, Jill," he grumbled, and I looked around to see that I was at our house. I guess Jack had let me sleep in the bed. At least he was decent like that. I attempted swallowing to wet my throat, but that didn't accomplish much.

"I'm sorry Jack," I croaked out. He sighed a little, and came over to me. He put a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you need some water?" I nodded in response. He trudged outside to the well with a bucket in hand, and I sat back down onto the bed. He came back pretty quickly, shivering a little, and I drank the chilled water straight from the bucket, not even bothering with a cup. The damp wood was soft against my lips, and it smelled really nice. I immediately felt better, and my headache let up significantly.

"Thank you," I whispered. Jack nodded, and lay back down onto a little set up on the floor. I felt bad, but if I really thought about it, I really didn't feel _that_ bad. I was all wide awake, now, though, so I decided to take a walk, or something. I looked over at the clock. It was one o'clock in the morning. I was expecting it to be later, quite honestly. I went and put on the jean jacket I had stolen from my brother, along with a flashlight, and told him I was leaving for a little bit. Groggy, he just mumbled a little, and I turned off the pathetic light hanging from the ceiling.

I had been expecting it to be colder, but was pleasantly surprised that it was only a little chilly. I decided to go see the lake or pond or whatever it was that everyone talked about. Would I even be able to check out the Harvest Sprite Tree at this hour? I made my way down the path, flashlight on, and couldn't help but feel a little creeped out, even though I knew that the amount of crime that happened here was virtually nonexistent, save for that thief. I shook off the eerie feeling, and turned left right before I got to the bridge. Soon, making the turn that went behind the hill, I realized that I didn't need the flashlight. I almost dropped it in awe. It was so beautiful. There were tall plant-like things with giant crystals hanging from them, all lined up in rows to light up the way to a giant sparkling body of water. I walked forward slowly, mouth open and flashlight turned off, and decided to touch one of the giant crystals. It didn't really feel hot or cold. Actually, in some weird way, it felt like both. I touched the stem of the odd lights, and with shock realized that these were actual plants. I dug a fingernail in to make sure, and saw an imprint there. I felt a little liquid on that finger, and was amazed. Could _I _grow these?

I made the rest of the way towards the water, and realized that the little pond there was smaller than it had looked before. It was still beautiful, though, reflecting both the stars and the glowing wonder-plants. I knelt down, and looked closely at the water. I reached down to touch it, a little scared.

"Isn't it beautiful?" a voice sounded. I jumped right up and looked around. My heart was racing, totally convinced that I was going to die for some reason. Was this guy dangerous?

I couldn't find the source of the voice. I decided to hold up the flashlight as a weapon, and took some sort of stance I hoped looked at least a little threatening. Though, it probably just made me look stupid. I heard a chuckle from the shadows.

"Stop trying to be all mysterious and weird!" I called out. I hated to admit how exciting it kind of was suddenly facing this.

"What's the fun in that, my dear?" The voice was much too close to be comfortable now, though. Was this guy some creepy sadist? I scoffed, trying to suppress my fear.

"You're just some creepy old perv, aren't you?"

The Phantom Thief suddenly appeared before me.

"Now, now. I can't have you saying such things that could tarnish my reputation with the ladies," he said, voice as smooth and calm as ever. He laughed a little and strolled toward me. I was getting 1000% creep alarms in my head.

"Please don't misunderstand my intentions. I'm not as low and desperate as to stalk my women. I was just simply taking a stroll in one of my favorite places," he said.

"Did you just call me one of your women?"

"Did I?" he remarked, a smirk across his face. He decided to stand by me. I decided to step away. He sat down right where I had knelt before.

I hadn't been expecting that. I was actually expecting that I would have to take my chances, hit him on the head with a flashlight, and run while praying. He just looked up at me, the glow from the crystals causing his ghostly appearance to become much more extreme than before. I stood still, heart racing.

"You should return Lumina's necklace," I said, trying to calm myself down a little. The thief nodded.

"Yes, I should. But I'm afraid I am no longer in possession of it," he said.

"You already sold it?" I said, disgusted, which helped. What a low-life.

"It's not that simple, dear. I wish it was, though," he said, looking down at the water.

"I'm not going to believe your pathetic excuse for stealing," I said, and decided to just walk away, feeling my patience suddenly run short.

"Please. Wait," he said. I sighed, and decided to turn around. I guess I was still feeling a little adventurous, not to mention lenient.

"What?" I said, making sure disinterest was clear in my voice.

"I wasn't making excuses. I will admit to my own fallacies," he said. He was looking right at me.

"Okay," I said. Why was he keeping me here just to say that?

"I'm actually a savior of this little town," he said, smirking. I raised an eyebrow.

"Do enlighten me on how that is so," I said, trying to copy his stupid little silky voice. I made a little waving gesture with my hand as I said so.

"I choose not to steal as much as I could. As much as I _should_, too, I must add. So, if anything, I deserve your thanks," he said.

"You can't honestly expect me to believe that," I said.

"You're right. But I thought I'd at least tell you," he said. He remained silent after that. I sighed once more and went to stand next to him.

"Why do you _insist_ on being some mysterious little shithead?"

He chuckled.

"You find me mysterious?"

"It's not a compliment. It's annoying and comes off a little pretentious," I said. He touched his chest.

"That's not very nice of you," he said, and I realized that the smirk across his face was pretty much always there. I rolled my eyes. I decided to sit down where I stood, for some reason. I made sure to sit down pretty far from him, though.

I just sat there, looking at the beautiful water. It was completely calm, and not a ripple was in sight. It was unsettling, actually. I decided to attempt touching the water once more.

My finger touched it, but there would have been no way of knowing if I hadn't actually seen my finger touch it. My eyebrows met in confusion. The water remained as smooth and un-moving as ever. But I had felt it, and it was cold and wet. I rubbed my fingers together on one hand, feeling a liquid.

"What is this place called, again?" I asked.

"The Goddess Pond," the thief replied simply. I looked over at him. He was looking at the water right in front of his spot.

"Is it magic?" I followed up.

"Yes."

I bit my lip. The Harvest Goddess. I had to save her. I had to see the Harvest Sprites.

I suddenly felt exhausted even thinking about such a thing.

"What's your name?" I suddenly heard. I raised an eyebrow and looked back at him. Should I just tell him? I mean, who even really cares?

"Jill," I replied. He nodded, and turned to look at me. A smile, not a smirk but an actual hint of a real smile, appeared across his face.

"Nice to meet you, Jill," he said, voice soft. I felt a little sick. My heart felt like it suddenly did a few cartwheels or jumping jacks, or something. I felt nauseous, and felt the urge to shake a little. What the hell? My pulse was doing just that: _pulsing_. Throughout my entire body.

Did he just use some weird little spell on me, or something? _Was_ he really magic? I could have sworn he had done something to me and Lumina before. Was this something else?

Or…was it that he was actually somehow making me kind of like him? Oh, goddess. I was so weak and pathetic. I mean, seriously? Some guy you just recently met smiles at you and you're all swoony or whatever? I sighed.

"Yeah," I finally said, and decided to just leave. I was sick of this, as well as very uncomfortable.

"I'm gonna go now," I said. The thief looked up at me.

"Have I frightened you?" he asked, annoying smirk back.

"No, you just piss me off. Plus, I'm tired," I said, and just decided to walk off without looking back. I heard a chuckle as I left.

"I'll see you again, beautiful. It's written in the stars."

What the fuck was wrong with this guy?


End file.
